Marking apparatus



Dec. 8, 1959 M, HlRscHEY 2,915,964

MARKING APPARATUS Filed July 51, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet l if R Dec. 8, 1959 M. HlRscHl-:Y 2,915,964

MARKING APPARATUS Filed July 5l, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. /Vu cac/v /msc Hf;

CRW( @my Dec, 8, 1959 M. HlRscHEY 2,915,964

MARKING APPARATUS F'iled July 31, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VEN TUR. /V/Mco M //Ascffs/ E .4 (www g ,vrai/Vey United States Patent O MARKIN G APPARATUS Malcolm Hirschey, Woodbridge, NJ., assignor to Adolph Gottscho, Inc., Hillside, NJ., a corporation of New York Application .luly 31, 1956, Serial No. 601,183l

14 Claims. (Cl..101-4:4).

The present invention relates generally to marking apparatus, and more particularly is directed to apparatus for applying markings to conveyed articles.

In the yapplication for United States Letters Patent filed September 15, 1955, by Malcolm Hirschey, Ira S. Gottscho and Andrew I. Alessi, Jr., and identified as Serial No. 534,496, an apparatus has been disclosed that is substantially portable and `arranged so that it can be disposed at any desired location along an article conveyor to mark the successive articles conveyed by the latter without requiring the interruption of the article conveyor for accommodation of the marking' apparatus. Such apparatus employs a single star wheel overlying the article handling conveyor, for example, a belt conveyor, and automatically serving to separate the conveyed articles yand to carry the separated articles along a generally semi-circular path extending olf: the conveyor, past a marking station to one side of the latter Where the bottom or top surfaces, or bothV the bottom and top surfaces, of the articles are marked and then back onto the uninterrupted article handling conveyor. In order that the marking apparatus may be easily positioned at any desired location along the article handling conveyor without requiring any substantial alteration or reworking of the latter for that purpose and will be ready for operation when so positioned, the marking apparatus is provided with its own drive means operating independently `of the `drive for the article handling conveyor or the drive for the machine feeding the article to-be marked to the conveyor, for example, a machine filling cans, bottles or jars to be marked.

lf an excessive build-up or backlog onthe conveyor of articles waiting to be marked is tobe avoided the marking apparatus must operate at a speed or rate that is at least equal to the rate of delivery of the7 machine which feeds the articles to the conveyor. However, in many installations with which. the described apparatusV is intended to be used, the machine delivering articles to the conveyor is capable of operating at an extremely high rate of delivery, for example, at a rate as. high as 600 articles per minute, during periodsof peak loads, but, at other times, may deliver articles to the'conveyor at a greatly reduced rate, for example, at a rate as low as 70 articles per minute. In that case, a markingy apparatus of the described character operating. independently of the actual rate of delivery of articles to-be marked to the conveyor Would have to `operate at a rate equal to the maximum rate of delivery, even when the actual delivery rate was substantially lower, merely to ensure. that the marking apparatus could mark all of the articles. being delivered during the relatively infrequent periodsv of peak loads. It is Iapparent that the continuous operation of the marking apparatus at a speed capable of marking 600 articles per minute, when, in fact, only 70- However, the supplying or exhausting ofcompressedair- '2,915,964 .Patented Dec. 8,I 195.9

apparatus. will be correspondingly greater than is neces.- sary.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention tol provide apparatus for marking articles carried. by an article handling conveyor, preferably apparatus of the described character, which, although driven independently of the drive of the conveyor and of the machine delivering the articles to be marked to the conveyor, responds to the presence or absence of a backlog of `articles Waiting to be marked on the conveyor to correspondingly speed up or slow down the rate ofy operation of the marking apparatus so. that, during, the. periods of peak loads, the marking apparatus Will op.- erate at an accelerated rate to mark all. of the: articles delivered to the conveyor without causing the build-up of an excessive backlog of articles waiting to be marked on the conveyor, and during those periods whenA articles are delivered at a relatively slow rate, the operation of the marking apparatus will be correspondingly slowed down.

An aspect of the invention resides in. the provision of marking apparatus of the described character with: a variable speed drive and a control system. for the latter including feeler means projecting intor the path of the articles on the conveyor in advance of the location of the marking apparatus. to be engaged by the conveyed articles, the control systemv being arranged so that when the. feeler means is substantially continuously engaged, as by a backlog of articles waiting to be marked, the variable speed drive will be adjusted to speed up the operation of the marking apparatus, and, when the feeler means is disengaged from theartieles or only sporadically engaged by spaced apart articles. on the conveyor, the variable speed drive is adjusted in. the opposite sense to-s1ow down the operation of the markingl apparatus.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the. foregoing object is achieved by providing a pneumatically operated, double acting cylinder having its plunger connected to the variable speed drive sothat movement of the plunger, in one direction, causesy speedupY of the operation of the. marking apparatus, while movement of the plunger, in the opposite direction, causes slow down. of the oper-ation. The supplying. ofy compressed airA to the cylinderis controlledV by an electromagnetically operated valve arrangement andi thew operationof the valve arrangement is, in turn, controlled by an. electric. circuit having switches therein` actuable by.r` a movable feeler armv urged. to aposition projecting into the path of articles on the conveyor. When the.- feeler armprojects intothe path of the articles, the switches are disposed. in. positions corresponding to the movementr o the plunger in: said opposite direction. When the feeler arm, is moved out` of the pathV of the articles throughf engagement by the latter, the switches. are actuated to,k

dispose the valve arrangement for movement of the plunger. in said one direction, that is, in the speed-up direction.

through thevalve arrangement, when the latter is sovdis-y posed, is metered to delay the movement of the plunger-V in. the speed-up direction, so that actual speed-up of the: A operation of the marking apparatusoccurstonly when-the.A feeler arm is held out of the path of the articles for a,

protracted period, as by engagement by a back log of articles Waiting to beA marked. When the feeler arm returns. to. its position projecting into the path ofv thearticles, the switches are returned to their positions corre.. sponding tothe movement of the plunger insaid-opposite, slow downV direction and such movement occurs.`

The above, and other, objectsfeaturesandadvantages yof the invention will be apparent in the following detailed read in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, and wherein:

Fi g 1 is an elevational view ofa marking apparatus of the `kind to which the present application particularly relates;

Fig. 2 is an .enlargedv plan view of star wheel-and Y article guides of arnarking apparatus embodying the present invention;

Fig. 3 'is alplan view, on an enlarged scale of the drive assembly of a. marking apparatus embodying the present invention; Y

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of the drive assembly of Fig;v 3; t ,Fig. 5 is an enlarged p lanviewof a feeler assembly included in a marking apparatus embodying the present invention;

'Fig.' 6 is a schematic wiring'diagram of an electric circuitincluded in the illustrated embodiment of the invention; and ,Fig. 7 is a schematic view of a pneumatically operated control system included inthe illustrated embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and initially to Fig. 1 thereof, it will bevseen that a marking apparatus to which the present invention may be applied, there geni description fan' illustrative embodiment which is to be l A s n corresponding adjustments of the level of the table structure 32 are effected by adjustable jacks 36 extending vertically between the table structure and the base 12.

The apparatus 10 further has guides for directing the conveyed articles to a position where they are successively received in pockets 28 of the star wheel 24, for cooperating with the star wheel in causing the pocketed articles to move along a generally semi-circular path extending laterally ol the conveyor 34, onto the table structure 32Yand past a marking station on the'latter, and for,Y

directing the marked'articles back onto theconveyor 34.

In order to accommodate such guides at the conveyor 34,

Y sections of the usual lateral guides 38 and 40, at the opposite sides of the cnveyorare removed, and the removal of such sections of the lateral guides represents the only alteration of the existing conveyor structure necessary to permit installation of the marking apparatus 10 at a desired location along the conveyor.

The article guides of the apparatus 10 include a guide plate 42 (Fig. 2) interposed between the remaining sections of the conveyor guides 38 and having an arcuate edge 44 that is substantially concentric with the star wheel 24, an infeed guide 46 extending from the remainnorally identied by the reference numeral 10, includes a ing section of the conveyor guide 40 'at the entrance end of the apparatus 10, and an outletV guide 48 extending to the remaining section ofthe conveyor guide 40 at the opposite end of the marking apparatus. The confronting edges of the guide plate 42 and of the guides 46 and 48 i are generally paralleland are arranged so that, as successive articles are moved by the conveyor 34 between the guides 38 and 40, each of the articles will enter between guide plate 42 and infeed guide 46 and be moved p laterally thereby'until taken up in a pocket 28 of the the spindle 18 in response to rotation of the drive shaft 20. t

The lower portion of spindle 18 projects downwardly from sleeve1 7 and has a hub 22 adjustable vertically thereon. A star wheel 24 (Figs. 1 and 2) is secured `to the underside of the hub 22, and rotates, with the spindle 18, in the direction of the arrow 2 6 on Fig. 2. The star wheel 24 has a plurality of pockets or recesses 28 in the periphery thereof which open generally in the radial direction to receive the articles to be marked, it beingY understood that the form of s uch pockets depends upon, and is/ determined by, the form of the articles to be canb'e varied depending upon the speedat which articles are` to be marked, the speed of rotation of the 'star wheel, the size of the articlesto be marked. Y -A sleeve 30 is slidable vertically'on the column 14 between the-base 12 and the cantilevered arm structure star wheel andthe size of the the sleeve 30 in the same general direction as the arm structure 1 6. l 'Asl seen in Fig.A 1, the table structureA 32 extends underthe star wheel 24, with the free or projecting edge of Vthe table-structure being laterally spaced from the axis of rotation of the starwheelby a distance approximating one-half the lateral dimension of the conveyor Y34 handling the articles to be marked. Thus, the marking apparatus 10,V which may be made transportable by the provision'o'fV casters or the like (not shown) on the base 1 2,can`befmoved to an operative position anywhere along the conveyor 34.*with the lstar'wheel 24 then overlying the conveyor and having its axis of rotation substantially centered inthe lateral direction relative to the conveyor, andwth the/table structure 32 extending along a side edge of an article carrying run of therconveyior 34 and beingv disposed attheV Ysame level as the latter;

'Aspreviously notedf the star wheelA 24 is vertically' adjustable along the spindle 1 8 for accommodating constar wheel. When an article is received in a pocket 28, the edge 44 of guide plate 42 will hold the article against radial removal from the related pocket until the article passes between the guide plate 42Y and the outlet guide 48 which together dene a path tangential to the circular i path of the pockets 28 and converging with the path of the conveyor 34 for returning the marked article to the latter.

The reliable operation of the star wheel 24 in removing the foremost article to be marked from between the infeedV guide 46 and the guide plate 42 requires a substantial pressure of the article against the periphery of the star wheel. Such pressure normally. would result from the friction between the article and the continuously moving conveyor 34. WhenV a backlog or accumulation markedl Further, the number of pockets orrecesses 28 f be sufficient to ensure reliable operation of the latter.V

- 16,and Ya table structure 32 extends horizontally from of articles waiting to be marked is present at the infeed endof the apparatus the frictional forces exerted by the conveyor 34 upon the accumulated articles are all applied to the foremost article, so that the pressure of the latter'against the periphery of the star wheel may then However, when the articles are spaced apart on the conveyor 34 and the star wheel 24 takes upfthe successive articles at a rate equal to, or greater than, the rate at which the articles are conveyed to the infeed end of the apparatus 10, there is no opportunity for a backlog of articles to accumulate between the infeedY guide 46 and i the guide plate 42 and the pressureiof the foremost conveyor on the single article. frictional force could, on occasion, be too small to prearticle against the periphery of rthe star wheel wouldthen be determined-only by the frictional force exerted by the Such a relatively small vent the backward movement ofthe foremost article out of the pocket 28 or, more seriously, Vthe jamming of the articlebetween the edge/44 of vguide plate 42 and the l tooth-like projection of the star wheel between two adi" guide plate 42 and infeed guide Y46, the Vapparatus 10 is provided, in acordance with the present inventiomwith a device which is generally. identified by the reference numeral 50 (Fig. 2) and which exerts a yieldable forcel uponeach of the succesive-aiticles in the direction toward the infeed guide 46 and toward the periphery of the star wheel 24. Preferably, in connection with the addition of the device 50, the lateral distance betweeny the confrontingl edges ofthe infeed guide 46 and the guide plate 42 is opened up, thatl is, is made larger than the lateral dimension of the article to be guided therebetween. device 50 includes an elongated, longitudinally bent member 52 supported, at one end, on a block 54 which is pivotally. mounted, as at 56, below the guide plate 42 for swinging of the member 52 in a horizontal plane. An arm 58lalso extends radially from the block 54 and, at its free end, has a bolt 60- extending therethrough to provide an adjustable anchor for one end of ak spring 62 which has its-opposite end connected to a bracket 64 (shown in broken lines) secured to the underside of the guide plate 42. l

As seen in- Fig; 2, the bent member 52 extends generally in the lateral direction from the block 54 into. the space between the guide plate 42 and the infeed guide 46 and: then along said space in the direction opposed to the direction of movement of the conveyed articles. The spring 62 urges the arm 58, block 54 and member 52 to rotate in the clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2, that is, in the direction tending to move the free end of member 52 laterally across the path of the articles. Further, the device 50- includes an adjustable stop 66 held' against the underside of guide plate 42 and engageable by the arm 58 to limitl the movement of the free end of' member 52 into the'path of the conveyed articles so that, even when the member 52 is in its limited position, as represented by broken lines on Fig. 2, a conveyed article A entering the infeed end of the apparatus can act against the bent free end ofy the member 52 and push the latter to the side of the article.

It is apparent that, as an article passes betweenV the guide plate 42 and the infeed guide 46, the member 52 acts laterally against the article to hold the latter against the guide 46. Further, if the conveyod article moving between the guide plate 42 and the infeed guide 46 is a substantial` distance in advance of the next article on the conveyor, as in the case ofthe article A in Fig. 2, as the article A moves into a pocket 28 of the star Wheel 24, the member 52 exerts a force on the article A generally inthe direction of the arrow 88 to ensure that the article will not back up out of the pocket and be jammed between the star wheel and the edge of guide plate 42.

The apparatus further includes a marking device, generally identified by the reference numeral 70 (Fig. l), which forms no part of the present invention, for applying suitable markings, for example, coded indications of the date of filling of a container or of the contents of the latter, as the successive articles pass the mid-point of the generally semi-circular path followed by the articles during their engagement by the star wheel 24. Although the devicev 70 is adapted for the marking of the bottom surfaces of the successive articles, it is to be understood that marking devices may be provided in apparatus embodying the present invention to mark the top surfaces, the top and bottom surfaces, the bottom and side surfaces, the top and side surfaces, on the top, bottom and side surfaces.

In order to provide for marking of the bottom surfaces of the successive articles, the table structure 32 has an opening 72 (Fig. 2) therein through which a rotated marking element of the device 70 can project when the latter is supported below the table structure, as in Fig. l. Preferably, the marking device 76 is driven by a, suitable transmission 74 from the drive shaft 2t) so that the operation of. the marking device will be synchronized with the rotation of the star wheel 2.4 to avoid blurring of the marked impressions. Further, as seen Thein Fig. l, the apparatus 10 may include a hold-down`Y arrangement 76 which engages each article A from, above during the marking thereof to prevent tippingy over of the article and to react against the upwardly directed marking pressure. forms no part of the present invention and, therefore, will not be described in detail.

In accordance with this invention, marking apparatus of the above described type is provided with a drive arrangement which operates independently of the drive for the conveyor 34 and of the drive for the machine (not shown) delivering the articles to be marked to the conveyor, and which still accommodates the speed of operation of the marking apparatus to the rate at which the articles to be marked are delivered to the conveyor so that, in the event that the machine delivering the articles to the conveyor operates at an extremely high rateoperated at a relatively 1slow speed to prevent excessive wear of the marking apparatus and waste of the marking ink.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the drive arrangement (Figs. 3 and 4) for the marking apparatus 10 is generally identified by the reference numeral 78 and is mounted upon the base 12 so as to form an integral part of the marking apparatus. The drive arrangement 78 includes an electric motor 80, a speed reducing unit g2 and a variable speed transmission, generally identified by the reference numeral 84, which is interposed between the shaft of motor 80 and the input shaft 86 of the speed reducing unit. A yieldable coupling, for example, in the form of a friction clutch acted' upon by a spring 88, normally transmits the rotation of the output shaft 90 of the speed reducing unit to a sprocket 92 on that shaft, but permits the independentrotation of the output shaft in the event that the star wheel encounters excessive resistance to its rotation. An intermediate shaft 94 is rotatably mounted in suitable bearing blocks 96 on the base 12 and, at one end, carries a bevel gear 98 which meshes with a bevel gear 100 on the lower end of drive shaft 2t) (Figs. l and 3). At the end remote from bevel gear 98, the shaft 96 carries a sprocket 102 driven by a chain 104 running around theV sprocket 92. Thus, the motor S0 serves to rotate the drive shaft 2t) at a variable speed dependent uponY the condition of the variable speed transmission 84.A

As seen in Figs. 3 and 4, the variable speed transmission S4 may include a V-groove pulley 106 on the shaft of motor Si), a V-belt 168 extending around the pulley 106, a V-groove pulley on the input shaft 86 of the speed reducing unit S2, a V-belt 112 extending around the pulley 11G, and a double pulley made up of' twQ sections 114 and 116 with confronting conical faces fixed' on aV shaft 11S in axially spaced apart relationship and a central `section having opposite conical faces. The

central pulley section 120 is axially movable on the shaftV ing spaced apart side members 122 having the shaft 118y journalled intermediate the ends of the side members, and a cross-member 124 connecting the upper ends of the side members. The lower ends of the side members 122` are pivoted, as at 126, on a support 128 for swingingy about a horizontal axis that is parallelA to the axesl of;y the motor shaft and the inputshaft 86 of thelspeedjy redu;

ing unit. In response to swinging of the side members The hold-down arrangement 76 alsov 7e 122, th'axis of the shaft 118 is moved toward a'ndaway from the axes" of the motor shaft and the input shaft of therspeed reducing'unit. When the axis of shaft 118- moves toward the shaft of motor 80, the distance between the shafts 118 and 86' is correspondingly increased. Since the. belt 112 is of constant length, the increased interaxial distance is made possible by a decrease in the radius of the path of the belt 112 between the pulley sections 116 and 120, andv the latter shifts axially toward the pulley ksection 114 to permit such decrease of radius. The slack in the belt 108 is taken-up by the axial movement of the pulley section 120 toward the pulley' section 114 which serves to increase the radius of the path of the belt 108 between'the pulley sections 114 and 120. Thus, when the shaft 118 moves toward the motor shaft, the` variablespeed transmission 84 decreases the rotational speed of the input shaft 86. Conversely, when the shaft 118 moves vtoward the input rshaft 86'and away from the shaft of motor `80, the speed of the input shaft 86is increased. f It is apparent from the above that the speed transmitted to the input shaft of the speed reducing unit 82, and hence the rotational speed of the star wheel 24, can be `controlled by suitably rocking the side members '122 of lthe yoke in which the'double pulley is rotatably mounted. Y Y' .l Y

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, rocking of the yoke carrying the double pulley is eected by a double-acting, pneumatically operated cylinder 130 which is pivotally mounted adjacent one end, as at 132, onla support bracket 134 carried by the base 12 (Fig. 4).` A plunger 136 extends from the opposite or unsupported end of the cylinder 130 and, at its free end, is` connected to oneof the side members 122 by a bolt 138 adjustably received in a longitudinal slot 140 of the related side'member. When the bolt 138 is loosened, the latter can be moved along the slot 144) thereby to vary the angular displacement of the yoke carrying the double pulley, and hence the change of speed, resulting from the movement of the plunger 136 between its fully extended and retracted positions. With the illustrated arrangement, extension of the plunger or ram 136 movesv the shaft 118 tolward the shaft of motor 80 and thereby` decreases the transmitted speed, as explained above, while retraction of the plunger 136 conversely increases the transmitted speed.

y In accordance with the present invention, the Vrotational speed of the star wheel 24, and hence the rate at which the apparatus 10 can mark the conveyed articles, is controlled by Vthe presence or Vabsence of a backlog of articles waiting to be marked at the infeed end of the marking-apparatus. For this purpose, a feeler mechanism 142 (Figs. 2 and 5) is disposed adjacent the conveyor 34 at a location in advance of the infeed'to the apparatus 10 defined by the guide plate 42 and the infeed guide 46 and is actuated by the conveyed articles to control the supplying of compressed air, or other pressure uid, to the cylinder 130.

As seen particularly in Fig. 5, the feeler mechanism 142 includes-a support plate 144 suitably mounted at one side of the conveyor 34. A generally Y-shaped feeler member 146 that includes a feeler arm 148 and divergingv switch actuating arms 150 and 152 extending from one end of the Yarm 148 is pivotally mounted, at the june-- tion of the'arms 148, 150 and 152, on the support plate 144, as at 154. VA spring 156 is connected between the feelermember 146 and thesupport plate 144 and yieldably urges the feeler member to pivot in the clockwisedirection, as viewed in Fig. 5, to the position shown in full lines, where the feeler arm 148 projects4 laterally into the path ofV articles A carried by the conveyor 34 between'the guides 38'and 40. A `stop in 158 may project from the support plate 144 for engagement by theswitch actuating arm 4150, as shown, to limit the piv- Y 8T otal movement ofthe' feeler member 146' under the inuence of the spring 156. v

It is apparent that, as an article A is'moved bythe conveyor" 34Y pas-t'l the feeler mechanism in the direction of the arrow 158, such article engages ythe feeler Varm' 148 and pushes the latter out of the path of travel of the article, thereby pivoting the feeler arm and the switch actuating arms to the positions shown in broken lines and identied by the reference numerals 148', 150"Y and 152 on Fig. 5, and that, after the passage of the article and the disengagement by the latter ofthe feeler arm,

the spring 156 returns the feeler member 146 to its original position.

YThe feeler mechanism 142 further includes microswitches 160 and 162 actuable by the arms '150 and 152, respectively. Theswitches 160 and 162 arecarried by slotted brackets 164 and 166, respectively, which are secured to the support plate by bolts extending into the latter through the slots of the switch carrying brackthe illustrated full line positions where rollers 176 and 178 on the free ends of the extensions 172 a'nd 174, respectively, project into the arcuate path of the. ends of arms 150 and 152. The extension172 is free tobe rocked in the clockwise direction relative to the related finger 168 to the broken line position of Fig. 5, While the extension 174 is free to be rocked in the opposite or counter-clockwise direction relative to its nger 170 vto the broken line position of Fig. 5. Y

Thus, when the feeler member 146 is rocked by an article to move the arms 150 and 152 to the broken line positions 150' and 152', the arm 150, in moving past the roller 176, merely rocks the extension 172 relative to the finger 168 and the contacts of switch 160 remain open, while the arm 152 engages the roller 178 and Y rocks the extension 174 and the finger 170 together to effect closing of the contacts of the related switch 162. On the other hand, when the spring 156 returns the feeler member 146 to its original position, the arm 152 merely rocks the extension 174 relative to the finger 170 to avoid reclosing of the contacts of switch 162, while the arm 150 engages the roller 176 inthe direction causing joint rocking of the extension 172 and linger 168 to` close the contacts of switch 160. The switches 160 and 162 areY employed to control the speeding-up and slowing-down of the rotation of the star wheel. For example, in the illustrated embodi-V ment of the invention, the switches 160Vand 162 may control the energizationof electro-magnetically operated valvesY which, in turn, Ycontrol the supplying of compressed air to the opposite ends of the cylinder V130.V

Referring to Fig. 6, it will be seen that the switches 160 and 162 may be connected in series ,with solenoids and 182, respectively, whilel the series connected switches and solenoids are connected in parallel between one side of a source 184 of electric current and ground, the other side of the source 184 being also grounded,

as shown, so that the solenoids`180 and 182 are energizedv only when the contacts of the related normally open switches are closed in the manner described above.

As seen in Fig.V 7, the solenoids 180 and 182 maybe connected to two-position Valves v186 and 188,'respectively, to operate the latter. The Valves 1867and 188 are interposed in a system `for supplying compressed air to the cylinder 130 that includes a tank or other source of compressed air, a supply line 192 extendingfromthe tank3190and opening into branches 194 and 196 leadng-tothe valves 186 and 188, respectively, and lines or conduits 1198 -and 200 extending from the valves 186 and 188, respectivelypto the opposite ends ofthe cylinder '130. Further, the illustrated system has vents 202 and -204 opening to atmosphere from the Valves 186 and 188 and having adjustable metering valves 206 and 208 extending therein for varying the resistance to the llow of vcompressed air out of the vents.

Each ofthe control valves 186 and 1188 is arranged to establish communication between the related vent .and the related conduit 198 or 20) when the related solenoid is-' de energized, vfor example, asin the case of the valve 11'86 -on-Fig. 7, and to establish communication between the YArelated supply branch .194 or 1.96 .and the related conduit-198 or 20.0 when the related solenoid is ener- -gized,fforexample, as in the case ofthe valve 188 on Figw7. vvr-llhusfwhen-the solenoid v180 is energizedby closing of-switch160, compressed air is fed to the right- -hand-end of cylinder 134), as viewed in Fig. 7,.while the left-hand end of the -cylinder is opened. to the atmosphere to--perrnit extension of the plunger or ram 136 for displaingthevariablespeed transmission 84 in the. direction for-'decreasing the speed of rotation of the star wheel 24. #On the other-hand, when the. solenoid .182 is ener- 4gizedl-byclosing of switch162, compressed air is fed to theI left-handy end of cylinder 130 and the right-rand end ofthe latter-is openedl tothe atmosphere .to cause retraction-.of the plunger-186 for displacing the transmission S4 inthedirection for increasing the speed of rotation of the-'star y'wheel.

4"Preferably,fthe `metering-.Valve 2%6 is adjusted to provide-a'relative small-exhaust opening through the vent 202 so that,- when compressed air is supplied inthe .direc- -tion-for-causing-retraction of the plunger136, .such retraction will take place relatively slowly. Thus, .when an isolatedarticlepasses the feeler mechanism 142 and causes the feeler -rnemberld to momentarily close the vswitch'162,theretraction of the ram l136 for causing a speedfup-ofthe rotationalspeed of the star wheel 24 occurs slowly and, before such speed-up can become eec- Itivefthe isolated-.article again releases the feeler member =146 which then-closes switchfli to cause the compressed Aairto -be supplied to the cylinder 13.6 in the .direction for extending theplunger 136 and correspondingly slowing `down thefrotational'speed of the star wheel. Accordingly,-actual speeding up .of the rotational speed of the starwheel 124 .willoccur only when a back log of successive 4articles; occurs on the conveyor 34 to repeatedly engage the feelenmember 146 and thereby to cause repeatedclosing of theswitch 162 without intervening closures of the/ switch 160.

`Itgisapparenttthat, with the described arrangement, 4the operating speed-of the marking apparatus 1i) is auto- .rnaticallyvariedto .accommodate the rateat which-articlesitolbe marked .are delivered to theconveyor .34. A:Assuming that the. star wheel 24 is initially turning at a relatively slowspeed and that the machine .delivering .articlesfto the conveyor 34 then begins to deliver articles toibo-marked .atan accelerated rate, the initial effect of vsuch..acce1e rated delivery will he the build-up of abacklog.y of .articles Waiting to` be markedat the infeed end of the-apparatus' 10. When the backlog reaches a predeterminednumber, depending upon the location of the 'feeler mechanism in advance of the infeed to the apparatusiltl, `the described controlsautomatically operate to lincrease the rotational speed of the star wheel toan eX- tenttsufficient .to make the operating speed of the apparatus 10 correspond to the accelerated rate of delivery. When: therate of delivery of articles to be marked to the Aconveyor Aissharply reduced, for example, at the end of -a -periodoof peak production, the rotational speed of the .star-Wheel is reduced quickly in response to the dissipartion. of-ithe backlog-.ofl articles .at-.the infeed end` of :the

ymarking apparatus.

10 Thus, ,thelmarking apparatus v1!) can accommodate articles fed'. thereto at ahigh rate, but does not operate needlessly at such high ratewhenthe rate of .delivery is decreased.

.Although the illustrated embodiment of the l invention employs a constant .speed electric motor yand a variable speed transmission for controlling the operatingspeed of themarking apparatus, -it is .apparent that a-variable speed motor or any other .variable speed drive means could b e employed for the. same purpose and controlled inresponse to the presence or absence of y.a backlog of larticles waiting .to be marked in themanner described above.

Further, .although .a particular illustrative embodiment of the invention has been described in detailherein and shownin the accompanying. drawings,.it is to beunder- -stoodthat the inventionyis not limited to that particular embodiment, and; thatrvarious. changes. and modiieations mayibe effected;in the ;latter .without .departing from thevscope or spirit. of the invention as defined in the .appended claims.

What is claimed is:

ll. ,In apparatus for marking successive articles. con- `Veyed thereto at a substantially constant speed and having ,.aninfeed at which articlesto be marked are received-.at

-a vvariablerate; the combination of drive means for, operating the marking apparatus at a Variable rate, and control-means actuated by the successive articles conveyed tothe infeed, to increase` and decrease the speedv at which ,said driyemeans Operates the marking apparatus inresponseto the actuation of said control means by successive conveyed articles in closely spaced relationship and yin relatively Widely spaced relationship, respectively, so

that,.when articles are conveyed to the infeed at a rate vhigher-than thatK at which the apparatus isoperating to create an accumulation of closely spaced articles atthe infeed, the rate Vof operation of theA marking apparatus is .increased and, when the marking apparatusis operating at .aratef higher than that at which articles to be marked are conveyed to the infeed, the rate of operation of the marking apparatus is decreased.

2. AIn apparatusjfor marking successive articles conveyed thereto at atsubstantially constant speed and hav.-

Ying an infeedat -which articlesyto be marked are received -at Va variable rate; the combination of drive mcansfor operating the lmarking apparatus at a variable speed, ymeans for adjusting the speed Vat which said drive means (operates the marking apparatus, and feeler means engageable by the successive articles conveyed to the infeed of the ,marking apparatus and controlling said adjusting 'means yto cause the latter to increase the speed of operation-of themarking apparatus vwhen said feeler means lis f substantially continuously engaged by closely spaced articles waiting to be marked .at the infeed of the apparatus,

andto cause said adjusting means to decrease the speed at 4-a-variablerate; the combination of drive means for operating the marking .apparatus at a variable speed, a

feeler member yieldably urged to projectintothe path of the articles conveyed lto the infeed and movable out ofsaid path by `engagement by a conveyed article,;means for. adjusting the speed at which said drive means operates thefrnarking apparatus, control means for said adjusting meansactuable by said feeler member to condition said `adjusting means for increasing the speed yat which the markingapparatusis operated in response to lmovement `ofsaid feeler member o ut of said path of. the

articles-.and to condition .said adjusting means for decreasing the speed atawhich the marking apparatus tis operatedtinresponse-.to the returnmovemnt of said i 1I Yfeeler member into said path of the' articles upon the release by the latter of said feeler member, and means delayingthe` action of'said adjusting means in the sense causing increasing of the speed atwhich the marking apparatus is operated so that, when said feeler member is only intermittently engaged by spaced apart articles `conveyed to the infeed and the speed of operationof the apparatus is adequate to mark the articles at the rate at which the latter are conveyed, speeding up of the operation of the marking apparatus is avoided, whereby speedingup of the operation of the marking apparatus occurs only when the feeler member is substantially continu-V operating the marking apparatus at a variable speed, a

feeler member yieldably urged to project into the path` of the articles conveyed to the infeed and movable out of said path by engagement by a conveyed article, means foi" adjusting the speed at which said drive means operates the marking apparatus, and control means for said adjusting means including rst and second normally open Vswitches actuable by said feeler member and closed in response to the movements of the latter into and out of, respectively, the path of the conveyed articles, and means causing said adjusting means to decrease the operating speed of the marking apparatus in response to closing of said first switch and to increase the operating speed of the marking apparatus in response to repeated closing of said second switch by engagement of said feeler meinber with a` succession of conveyedv articles accumulated at the infeed.

5. In apparatus for marking successive articles conveyed thereto at a substantially constant speed and having an infeed at which articles to be marked are received at a variable rate; the combination of drive means for operating the marking apparatus at a variable speed, pressure fluid operated motor means connected ltofsaid drive means for! varying the speed at whichrthe latter operates'the marking apparatus, means for selectively supplying pressure uid to opposed ends of said motor means to increase-and decrease the speed of Voperation ofthe marking apparatus, and means controlling the supplying of pressure iluid` to said motor means and actuated bythe successive conveyed articles to supply pressure uidtosaid motor means at oneV end for increasing the speed ofsope'ration when said controlling means is substantially continuously actuated by conveyed articles Jin' closely spaced relationship 'waiting to be marked at the infeed of the apparatus, and to supply pressure uid to lthey opposite end of the motor means for'decreasing the speed of operationwhen saidcontrolling means is only intermittently actuated by relatively widely spaced apart articles conveyed to the infeed.y l

6. In apparatus for marking successive articles conveyed thereto at a substantially constant speed and hav- Ving an infeed at whicharticles to be marked are received Vat a variable rate; the combination ofa substantially constant speed motor, variable transmission means driven by said motor for operating the marking'apparatus at a lvariable speed, means for adjusting the transmission ratio of said'variabletransmission means includingV a pressureV fluid'operated cylinder having a ram movable Y -iu opposite directions to increase sanddecrease, respectively, the transmission ratio of saidvariable transmission means, means for suplying pressurefluidY to said cylinder to selectively moveY saidV ram jin said opposite directions, and control means for said pressure lluid sup- -plying means actuated by the'successiveconveyed articles to'cause ythe supplying of pressure uid to saidcylinder 4AforS moving saidram `in the direction increasing vsaid transmission ratio whensaidfcontrol means is substantially continuously actuated by conveyed articles in closely spaced relationship waiting to be 'marked at the infeed of the apparatus and for moving said ram in the opposite direction decreasing said transmission 'ratio when said control means is only intermittently actuated by articles conveyed to the infeed in relatively Widely spaced apart relationship;

" 7. `Insapparatus for marking successive articles conveyed thereto at a substantiallyconstant speed and having an infeed at which articles to be marked are received ata variable rate; the combination of a substantially constant speed motor, variable transmission means driven by said motor for operating the marking apparatus at a variable speed, means for adjusting the transmission ratio of said variable transmission means including a pressure iluid operated cylinder having a ram movable in opposite directions to increase and decrease, respectively, the transmission ratio of said variable transmission means, means for supplying pressure Huid to said cylinder to selectively move said ram in said opposite directions, a feeler member yieldably urged to normally project into the path of the articles conveyed to said infeed and movable out of Ysaid path by a conveyed article engaging the feeler member, and control means for said pressure uid supplying means actuable by said feeler member to cause the movement of said ram in the direction increasing said transmission ratio in response to substantially continuous engagement of the feeler member by closely spaced apart conveyed articles waiting to be marked at the infeed of the apparatus and to cause movement of said ram in the direction decreasing the transmission ratio in response to the return of said feeler member to its normal projection into said path during the intervals between the engagement of the feeler member by successive conveyed articles in relatively widely spaced apart relationship.

8. In apparatus for marking successive articles conveyed thereto atl a substantially constant rate and having an infeed at which articles to be marked are received at a variable rate; the combination of a substantially constant speed motor, variable transmission means driven by said motor for operating the marking apparatus at a variable speed, means for adjusting the transmission ratio of said variable transmission means including a pressure fluid operated cylinder having a ram movable in opposite directions to Vincrease anddecrease, respectively, the transmission ratio of said transmission means, means for ysupplying pressure fluid to said cylinder to selectively move said ram in said opposite directions, a feeler member yieldably urged to normally project into the path of the articles conveyed to saidinfeed and movable out of said path by a conveyed article engaging the feeler member, and control means for said pressure uid supplying -means actuable by said feeler member to cause the movement of said ram in the direction increasing said transmission ratio in response to the movement of said feeler member out of said path and to causemovement of said ram in the direction decreasing the transmission ratio in response to the return of said feeler member to Vits normal projection into said path, said pressure uid supplying means including means for slowing the movement of said ram in said Vdirection increasing the transmission ratio so that, when said feeler member is only intermittently engaged by spaced apart conveyed articles entering said infeed and moved repeatedly into and out of the path of the conveyed articles, said control means repeatedly reverses'the direction of movement of said 'ramto prevent any overall movement of the latter in the and connected' to the apparatus for operating the latter, a variable speed* transmissionn between said motor shaft and? driven; shaft. includingr V-grooveY pulleys on said motor and driven,shafts,.an.intermediate shaft parallel'to saidmoltorfanddrivenshaftsand movable toward and away from;` the latter, adouble V-groove speed changing pulley on said; intermediate shaftrand' V-belts extending around saidspeedhanging pulley and' said pulleys on the motor and driven shafts to oppositely vary the radii of the paths of said belts around said speed changing pulley in response to movement of said intermediate shaft toward and away from said motor and driven shafts thereby to change the speed at which the apparatus is operated, means for displacing said intermediate shaft toward and away from said motor and driven shafts, and control means actuated by the successive conveyed articles to cause said displacing means to move said intermediate shaft in the direction for increasing the operating speed of the apparatus when said control means is substantially continuously actuated by conveyed articles in closely spaced relationship waiting to be marked at said infeed, and to cause said displacing means to move said intermediate shaft in the direction for decreasing the operating speed of the apparatus when said control means is only intermittently actuated by articles conveyed to said infeed in relatively widely spaced apart relationship.

l0. In apparatus for marking successive articles conveyed thereto at a substantially constant speed and having yan infeed at which articles to be marked are received at a variable rate; the combination of a constant speed motor, a driven shaft parallel to the motor shaft and connected to the apparatus for operating the latter, a variable speed transmission between said motor shaft and driven shaft including V-groove pulleys on said motor and driven shaft, an intermediate shaft parallel to said motor and driven shafts and movable toward and away from the latter, a double V-groove speed changing pulley on said intermediate shaft and V-belts extending around said speed changing pulley and said pulleys on the motor and driven shafts to oppositely vary the radii of the paths of said belts around said speed changing pulley in response to movement of said intermediate shaft toward and away from said motor and driven shafts thereby to change the speed at which the apparatus is operated, a pressure fluid operated cylinder having a ram connected to said variable speed transmission and movable in opposite directions for displacing said intermediate shaft toward and away from said motor and driven shafts, and control means actuated by the articles conveyed to said infeed and controlling the supplying of pressure uid to said cylinder so that, when said control means is substantially continuously actuated by closely spaced articles waiting to be marked -at said infeed, said ram is moved in the direction for increasing the operating speed of the apparatus and, when said control means is only intermittently actuated by conveyed articles in relatively widely spaced relationship, said ram is moved in the direction for decreasing the operating speed of the apparatus.

11. In apparatus for marking successive articles conveyed thereto at a substantially constant speed and having an infeed at which articles to be marked are received at a variable rate; the combination as in claim l0, fwherein said control means includes pressure iluid supplying means for selectively supplying pressure fluid to said cylinder to move said ram in said opposite directions, a feeler member yieldably urged to project into the path of the articles conveyed to said infeed and movable out of said path by the successive conveyed articles, and electro-magnetic means actuable by said feeler member and operating said pressure fluid supplying means to condition the latter for supplying pressure fluid to said cylinder to cause movement of said ram in the operating 14'. speed. increasing direction when` said feeler member is moved, out ofisaid'- path and to conditionvsaid pressure uid supplyingtmeans forsupplying pressure fluid to said cylinder to causeY movement of said ram in the operating speedf'decreasing direction when said feeler member projects into said path.

l2. In apparatusr for marking successive articles conveyed thereto at a substantially constant speedvand'liavirig an infeed at which the articles to be marked are received at a variable rate; the combination as in claim ll, wherein said control means further includes means operative to delay the movement of said ram in the operating speed increasing direction so that increasing of the operating speed is eected only when said feeler member is substantially continuously held out of said path of the articles by repeated engagement by successive articles in closely spaced relationship waiting to be marked at said infeed.

13. Apparatus for marking articles transported at a substantially constant speed and at a variable rate by an uninterrupted article handling conveyor; said apparatus comprising a supporting structure adapted to be positioned alongside the article handling conveyor and having an overhung upper structure to extend over the conveyor, a rotated star wheel depending from said overhung upper structure and rotating about a vertical axis extending into the path of the conveyed articles, said star Wheel having peripheral pockets for receiving the successive conveyed articles, guides associated with said star wheel and operative to direct conveyed articles into said pockets for transport by the latter along a generally semi-circular path extending from the conveyor, laterally oif one side of the latter and then back to the conveyor, yieldable means disposed at a fixed location adjacent the beginning of said generally semi-circular path and acting on the successive conveyed articles as the latter are directed by said guides and operative to force the foremost conveyed article into a pocket of said star wheel, marking means operative to apply markings to the successive articles in said pockets of the star wheel as the articles pass an intermediate location along said semicircular path, drive means for operating said star wheel and said marking means at a variable speed, and control means actuated by the successive articles waiting to be marked on the conveyor and correspondingly controlling the speed at which said drive means operates the star wheel and marking means so that, when said control means is substantially continuously actuated by conveyed articles in closely spaced relationship, the operating speed is increased and, when said control means is only intermittently actuated by conveyed articles in relatively widely spaced apart relationship, the operating speed is decreased.

14. Apparatus for marking articles transported at a substantially constant speed and at a variable rate by an uninterrupted article handling conveyor; said apparatus comprising a supporting structure adapted to be positioned alongside the article handlingrconveyor and havlng an overhung upper structure to extend over the conveyor, a rotated star wheel depending from said overhung upper structure and rotating about a vertical axis extending into the path of the conveyed articles, said star wheel having peripheral pockets for receiving the successive conveyed articles, guides associated with said star wheel and operative to direct conveyed articles into said pockets for transport by the latter along a generally semi-circular path extending from the conveyor, laterally olf one side of the latter and then back to the conveyor, marking means operative to apply markings to the successive articles in said pockets of the star wheel as the articles pass an intermediate location along said semi-circular path, drive means on said supporting structure for operating said star wheel and marking means at a variable speed, and controlling means actuated by @was 15 16 the successive conveyed articles and correspondingly con-` H Y Y, References Cited the file qf 4 thispatent trolling said drive means to increase tlle operating'speed" UNITED STATES PATTS f' of said star wheel and drive means 1n responseto the 1,023,074 i Gaynor et .all ll; 1- .Aprr 9,1912?? substantially continuous actuation of saidl controlling means by closely spaced articles on the conveyor and to 5 decrease the operating speed of saidstar wheel and drive 2 407,899 Nye et-al'. '-4 .l Septll.` 1946-2 means 1n response to the mtern'uttenty actuation of sald i t. f Y Y t controlling means by articles in relatively widely spacedV 2689484 Phares Sept '21 1954i 

